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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. season — of the year
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — in sport
  7. craft — boats
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. clip — for paper
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. foot — a measure
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. craft — a skill
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com